LSU announces death of Josh Maravich, younger son of Tigers legend Pete Maravich

Former LSU basketball walk-on Josh Maravich, the younger son of former LSU and NBA legend Pete Maravich, died on Friday, LSU announced on Saturday. He was 42.

Maravich died at the family home in Covington, Louisiana, according to the announcement. A cause of death was not given.

He played four seasons at LSU as a walk-on from 2001-05, following in the footsteps of his dad. His older brother Jaeson also played college hoops, though not at LSU.

And it was a role he was proud to play, fulfilling something of a family legacy.

“I wanted to come here for my dad to make him proud,” Maravich told The Daily Reveille at the time. “I knew I wasn’t going to be a star player, but for me being a walk-on was what I always wanted to do.”

Josh and his brother both played a key role in the statue of their father that sits outside of the arena bearing his name, the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. It was their idea to have their father depicted in full fast break, throwing a behind-the-back pass.

Maravich is survived by his brother, Jaeson, and their mother, Jackie Maravich McLachlan and her husband.

LSU recently hired a new men’s basketball assistant

LSU hired Sacramento State head coach David Patrick as the associate head coach to Matt McMahon, the team announced. It will be the second stint for Patrick with the Tigers as he was also an assistant under Johnny Jones from 2012-16.

Patrick had been the coach at Sacramento State for the past two seasons, leading the Hornets to a combined 24-42 record. He also brings head coaching experience at UC Riverside from 2018-20. His overall record as a head coach is 51-80.

Additionally, Patrick was an assistant coach at St. Mary’s, TCU, Arkansas and Oklahoma at various points throughout his career.

Patrick was born in Bermuda but raised in Melbourne, Australia. He is the godfather of Australian-born NBA player and former LSU player Ben Simmons and also served as an assistant coach for the Australia men’s national team.

“I am incredibly excited to welcome David Patrick and his family to our LSU coaching staff,” McMahon said in a press release. “He is an outstanding basketball coach and an elite recruiter who has impacted winning at every stop on his journey. Coach Patrick brings tremendous experience and success to our program. He has been a Division I Head Coach, an assistant coach for the Australian National Team winning a bronze medal in the 2021 Olympics, and has coached in the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 rounds of the NCAA Tournament.

“I love Coach Patrick’s investment in player development and in building relationships. He has recruited and helped to develop multiple NBA Draft picks throughout his career. I look forward to the new ideas, solutions, and energy he will bring to our program. We can’t wait to get started this summer.”

Patrick moved to the United States from Australia in 1994 and attended Chapel Trafton High School in Baton Rouge. He accepted a scholarship to play for Syracuse and was a member of the Orange’s 1996 Final Four team. He later transferred to Louisiana-Lafayette for the final three seasons of his playing career.